Current Reviews
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May 31, 2024Art Song – Don SkoogThis composition is part of a repertoire of incredibly unique works.
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May 31, 2024Tower in the Cloud – Walter Mertens“Tower in the Cloud” was commissioned by Percussion Ensemble Academie voor Muziek & Woord Tessenderlo.
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May 31, 2024Watermelon – Valentin KervadecThis new quartet was premiered during the 10th annual International Katarzyna Mycka Marimba Academy.
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May 31, 2024Fast Radio Bursts – Maximilian Wolfgang SchwarzThe title of “Fast Radio Bursts – A Polyrudi-metrical Etude” references an astrophysics concept referring to a strong, sudden burst of electromagnetic radiation.
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May 31, 2024Tour – Heng LiuComposed in 2023, this unaccompanied snare drum solo provides the performer with a diversity of challenging styles — from orchestral snare drumming to elements of rudimental style.
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May 31, 20243 Little Timpani Stories – Walter MertensThis piece for the developing timpanist with piano is divided into three movements, each representing a location in England: King’s Cross Station, Gloucester Cathedral, and Alnwick Castle
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May 31, 2024Ball Lightning – Heng Liu“Ball Lightning” is a phrenetic, exciting solo for snare drum and metals.
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May 31, 2024Sevenly Reward – Bob Becker“Sevenly Reward” is derived from one of the etudes in Bob Becker’s Rudimental Arithmetic (2008).
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May 31, 2024Across Heaven – Beyond the Clouds – Daniel BergIt is not often that we come across a piece that includes an organ.
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May 31, 2024Ameline – Eric Sammut (with flute)Eric Sammut is one of the most recognizable and performed composers of marimba literature.
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May 31, 2024Ameline – Eric Sammut (with violin)Popular percussion composer Eric Sammut is getting a lot of mileage out of his “Ameline.”
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May 31, 2024Memory – Heng Liu“Memory” is a percussion trio for vibraphone and two marimbas.
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May 31, 2024Attendance to Ritual – Donald Skoog“Attendance to Ritual” is a jazz trio that combines a written-out score with improvised solo sections.
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May 31, 2024L’assillo – Fabian OttenAccording to composer Fabian Otten, “L’assillo” can be translated to a “painful thought,” and his new piece for violin and marimba highlights the challenges we all face with difficulties in life, how we are hurt by these worries — attacked by them at times — and to find peace we must face these challenges head on and accept the truth.
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May 31, 2024Rêverie de ‘l hiver – Walter Mertens“Rêverie de ‘l hiver” is a beautiful duet for volincello and marimba.
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May 31, 2024Stealing Silence – Michael BurrittMarimba and flute are a popular duo combination, and “Stealing Silence” is a nice advanced addition to the repertoire.
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May 31, 2024Varimenueta – J.S. Bach – Arr. Walter MertensThis four-minute piece for piano and percussion ensemble is an arrangement of Bach’s “Minuet in G” (BWV 114).
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May 31, 2024Artful Dodgers – Three Story SandboxThis 13-track album explores the sonic possibilities of various instrumental configurations, including duos, trios, and quartets. The opening track, “Twin Rivers,” is a duet between saxophonist Scott Robinson and drummer/percussionist Jack Mouse. This piece sets the tone for the entire album. The listener can clearly hear that this music is a form of communication: a…
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May 31, 2024Digital Dances – Marco SchirripaMarco Schirripa’s debut album Digital Dances is inspired by electronic and video-game music.
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May 31, 2024Even Odds – Dan WeissJazz music often uses lead sheets, containing melodies and chord changes.
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May 31, 2024Laugh Ash – Ches SmithIn the liner notes for this album, Ches Smith highlights his education and especially his introduction to the music of Steve Reich, while at the same time he was studying the string quartets of Beethoven, as well as listening to early hip-hop artists.
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May 31, 2024Cassieopeia – Walter MertensMany times, it can be difficult to find literature that fits into spaces between etudes and performance pieces, but at accessible levels
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May 31, 2024Blue Smoke – Michael BurrittMichael Burritt’s first composition for solo marimba in ten years is based on the poem of the same name by Karle Wilson Baker.
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May 31, 2024Changing the Lines – Walter MertensThis new four-mallet marimba solo from Belgian composer and performer Walter Mertens is a complete package in terms of performance, offering opportunities to demonstrate a performer’s technical chops with a driving ostinato, while showing the player’s more lyrical abilities with a beautiful choral
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May 31, 2024Eternity – Valentin KervadecThis 6½-minute marimba solo is a pleasing journey through a mixture of musical lines that hint at Bach violin sonatas, chord progressions of Muramatsu, and pianistic flourishes found in solos by Robert Oetomo.
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May 31, 2024Etude in G minor – Xiaochi ZhangThis challenging 4-mallet marimba solo can easily serve a number of performance needs and will impress all sorts of audiences.
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May 31, 2024Going Home – Evelyn GlennieMost of us are well familiar with Dame Evelyn Glennie’s extraordinary performance talents, but some may not be as aware of her compositional output.
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May 31, 2024La Fleur Que Tu M’avais Jetée, from the opera Carmen – Eric SammutFor those looking for a fulfilling opportunity for refining and expanding musicality, this adaptation is the perfect choice.
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May 31, 2024Papilio Hilari – Walter MertensWalter Mertens is a composer, educator, and percussionist from Belgium.
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May 31, 2024Ramsody – Edmund JolliffeWhat a beautiful composition! Published in 2022, this marimba solo is based on Paganini’s famous theme and directed towards advanced players.